1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a portable and retractable stirrup especially useful for equestrian riding. The retractable stirrup is an additional stirrup temporarily attached to the saddle of a riding animal, such as a horse. It allows a rider a method to assume the correct riding position on a horse when the normal riding stirrup is too high for the rider to conveniently place his foot into the stirrup. The retractable stirrup provides a type of stair movement that greatly assists a rider with limited leg movement such as the elderly, with a smaller size such as children, or when the horse is at a higher elevation than the rider. The stirrup has been particularly designed to require a very small storage space, as storage on a riding saddle is normally very limited.
2. Discussion of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,088 describes a horse mounting aid method that includes a second smaller stirrup that is mounted just below the horse mounting stirrup. This additional stirrup has practical problems in actual use. The stirrup may be drawn up under the fender and/or side jockey when not used. This places the equipment in contact with the horse causing chafing and injury. It is difficult and dangerous for the rider to actually remove the temporary stirrup without falling to the ground because the rider must lean over to remove it. Finally, there is no provision to securely lock the temporary stirrup to the stirrup leather.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,957 describes an extendible stirrup for a horse. One of the saddle riding stirrups is mounted on a spring loaded mechanism. Since the mechanism is designed to serve two purposes, which allow a rider to easily mount onto the horse, and also provide for a secured riding position, the retraction mechanism is overly complicated with a long list of many moving parts (col. 11, 12).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,797 describes a temporary mounting stirrup for a horse. The temporary mounting stirrup is looped around the saddle horn and provides a lower stirrup for the rider to lift upwardly to a higher elevation with the right foot. The storage of the temporary mounting stirrup is poorly designed, by looping the strap and securing the loop with a D ring and clip. The temporary stirrup remains hanging from the saddle, and creates a hazard of catching on objects, such as brush or tree limbs. It may be removed by lifting the strap over the horn, but the strap does not loop conveniently into a compact storage. It is difficult for a rider to place a foot into the strap when the rider has limited leg movement. The strap does not have a defined opening for the foot, which is inconvenient for the rider and, when used, causes painful side pressure on the foot. The strap is not secured to the saddle horn and there is the likelihood of the strap falling off when riding hard. There is no provision for placing the strap immediately behind the normal riding stirrup. A person with poor leg motion will find it hard to cross the legs in the cramped space between stirrups to get the correct leg into the normal riding stirrup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,938 describes a stirrup extension that hooks onto the existing riding stirrup, but there is no safe and convenient method for the rider to remove the extension without leaning over severely to reach the top of the device. It has limited use as it is dangerous to leave the extension on the riding stirrup as it may catch on tree limbs and bush, and further, it is liable to fall off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,161 describes a leg up strap that is designed to assist the rider in climbing onto a horse. The strap has limited use as there is no provision for the rider to remove the strap from the horse when mounted. It is hazardous to leave the strap in place while riding, and the flexible foot opening creates unwanted side pressure on the foot as already mentioned in previous discussions on other patents.